IPL 2026: Noor Ahmad stars as CSK keeps KKR winless in cricket tournament
Five-time winners Chennai posted 192-5 with innings from Sanju Samson and Dewald Brevis (41), who scored 48 after being invited to bat first at their home MA Chidambaram Stadium.
Noor then opened the heat with a left-arm wrist spin to reduce Kolkata to 160-7 as they failed to win in all five matches.
“It gives a lot of confidence,” player of the match Noor said of his performance. “I will continue to work hard to continue contributing to my team.”
Kolkata is in last place with one point as a result of the match that ended in defeat.
Chennai continued their momentum after starting the season with three consecutive defeats and have now moved up to eighth place with back-to-back wins.
Chennai, one of the most successful franchises of the T20 tournament, is still awaiting the return of MS Dhoni, who is recovering from his calf injury and is yet to play a game in this edition.
Three-time champions Kolkata lost three early wickets in their chase, including Finn Allen (one) and Sunil Narine (24), but they joined the hunt before Noor struck.
Noor bowled skipper Ajinkya Rahane for 28 and Australia’s Cameron Green for a golden duck in successive balls but Rinku Singh avoided a hat-trick in his next over.
But Rinku could not last long and was caught out for six long overs as Kolkata collapsed to 90-6.
Rovman Powell, who hit an unbeaten 31, and Ramandeep Singh (35) tried to revive the chase but could never match the asking rate.
“We just have to keep our heads up, be positive and believe in ourselves,” Rahane said.
Earlier, Samson, who had hit a century in the previous match, maintained his form with a 32-ball knock with four fours and three sixes to give the team a flying start.
Ayush Mhatre’s 17-ball 38 and crucial runs from Brevis and Sarfaraz Khan (23) allowed Chennai to post a challenging total despite Kolkata’s steady bowling at the back end.
